Tinashe - 333
A sparkling display of personal evolution...
Doubling down on creative independence, *Tinashe’s* latest work follows in the footsteps of 2019’s ‘Songs For You’ – her first project since departing from former label home RCA – and sees an artist regain their spark with charisma and verve. A kaleidoscope of R&B versatility, ‘333’ prioritise the market of eclecticism, bottled inside contemporary narratives of hot girl summers, freedom, and occasional heartbreak.
Beginning with a bout of sultry, slap-bass melodies and skittish trap-influenced beats, it feels both well-crafted and trenchantly playful. Tinashe enthrals with Jeremih on ‘X’ over a hollowed-out beat, before moving into pop territory on ‘Unconditional’, the bouncy album centrepiece with a beat production from KAYTRANADA.
Elsewhere, Tinashe delivers lines with an audible tear falling from the eye to break down the barriers in the crowded R&B field. At her best, stories play out like cinema. On ‘Let Me Down Slowly’, a moody track, she’s heartbroken and in denial. “And now I’m folding / You know it’s hard on me / Don’t wanna cry no more / Waiting all night for you to hold me”, she croons in a syrupy but defeated tone. The following track, ‘Last Call’, is just as rich with detail of her breaking point, making for a collective standout moment on the LP.
Sharply pivoting between genres and mood, the record and lyricism occasionally feel a little clumsy. One of ‘333’’s singles, ‘Pasadena’, Tinashe favours ambience over substance with razor-sharp synths. On paper, the hook fails with mediocre lyricism (“Feelin’ right, feelin’ right, feelin’ right / Livin’ life, it’s the life”), though Tinashe and Cali rapper Buddy arrive on this track purely for the vibes, and maybe that’s okay.
At this point, it becomes clear that ‘333’ isn’t a radically innovative record, but it is coherent.
Light on the performance side, it’s the artful production on display that leads ‘333’. That’s not to say that Tinashe’s talents are not deployed here either - her vocals are as faultless as ever and her rap-like cadences, especially on ‘I Can See The Future’, are direct. Despite appearing torn between a middle-finger attitude and something much deeper, ‘333’ triumphs in never having a dull moment. It’s a document of character and expression while hopefully pushing forward to something more focussed.
*7/10 *
Words: *Hannah Browne *
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